Collapsible helmet

ABSTRACT

A collapsible helmet for cyclists, the collapsible helmet comprising: at least one elongate, curved central portion adapted to extend over a crown of a user&#39;s head from front to back; and, a plurality of side portions supported either side of the at least one central portion, the plurality of side portions configured to nest substantially under the at least one central portion when in a collapsed position, and the plurality of side portions configured to form a helmet when in an operative position; and, at least one flexible strap interconnecting the plurality of side portions and the at least one central portion, wherein the at least one flexible strap limits the relative separation of the plurality of side portions in the operative position.

This invention pertains generally to the field of collapsible helmets, and in particular collapsible helmets for use by cyclists.

In some countries it is a legal requirement to wear a bicycle helmet when cycling on roads, pavements and in other public areas. In some of these countries, these laws apply just to children, but in others they also apply to adults. A bicycle helmet is designed to attenuate head impacts should the cyclist be involved in an accident, protecting the head from injury.

However, if the wearing of helmets is not a legal requirement, the inconvenience of having to carry such a bulky item around tends to steer cyclists away from wearing one. Upon arriving at their destination, they would need to securely stow the helmet with the bicycle, or provide necessary carrying means to take it with them. With cycling helmets incorporating suitable materials and technology to ensure maximum impact protection, whilst allowing for sufficient head ventilation and aerodynamics, they are not cheap items. They are therefore unlikely to be left with the bicycle where they run the risk of being stolen.

Over the last decade, city centres and other urban areas, have begun to introduce cycling schemes where members of the public can hire a bicycle from a number of ranks throughout the city. The majority of such schemes do not include cycling helmets, and therefore a user is responsible for providing their own. Due to the inconvenience of carrying a helmet with you, it is again likely that the user will ride the bicycle without wearing a helmet, risking injury should they be involved in an accident. Bicycle helmets that provide the user with sufficient impact protection are not manufactured cheaply enough to allow them to be made available in such a situation.

A typical bicycle helmet comprises a rigid shell for superior impact protection. Due to their size and the nature of their construction, they would not fit inside a typical briefcase or handbag, and therefore require that the user carry additional luggage to support such an item.

A number of attempts have been made to market collapsible helmets, and in particular collapsible helmets for cyclists. Whilst these collapsible helmets do go some way towards reducing the size of the helmet, and therefore the volume required to store such a helmet when not in use, they do not appear to reduce the overall dimensions sufficiently to ensure that they are carried and used and are not aesthetically pleasing. They also tend to prove to be far more expensive than buying a standard helmet, and in some cases, compromise on impact protection to allow for some collapsibility.

The prior art shows a number of devices which attempt to address the needs in various ways.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,765 (Fallon et al) discloses a safety helmet comprising a substantially rigid curved top panel that extends over the crown of a wearer's head, and a pair of elongate side panels that extend around a respective side of the wearer's head, each side panel being pivotally connected at its two ends to the two ends of the top panel. The side panels are configured to by pivotally inwardly such that they lie substantially within a volume defined by the top panel. Whilst going some way to reducing the overall volume taken up by the cycling helmet when in a stowed position, by providing two side panels and hinged or pivotal means to move these side panels into their stowed position, the overall volume in such a stowed position is still of a considerable size.

GB 2 482 866 (Neopitou) discloses a helmet made from a flexible material, that allows a user to reduce the helmet down to a flat pack shape for stowage purposes. Whilst allowing the overall volume or the stowed helmet to be considerably reduced, the impact protection afforded by such a helmet is compromised.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention aim to provide a collapsible helmet for use by cyclists that provides sufficient impact protection to the head of a wearer, whilst collapsing down to a suitable volume for ease of storage when in a stowed position.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collapsible helmet for cyclists, the collapsible helmet comprising:

-   -   at least one elongate, curved central portion adapted to extend         over a crown of a user's head from front to back; and,     -   a plurality of side portions supported either side of the at         least one central portion, the plurality of side portions         configured to nest substantially under the at least one central         portion when in a collapsed position, and the plurality of side         portions configured to form a helmet when in an operative         position; and,     -   at least one flexible strap interconnecting the plurality of         side portions and the at least one central portion, wherein the         at least one flexible strap limits the relative separation of         the plurality of side portions in the operative position.

Preferably, the plurality of side portions supported either side of the at least one central portion comprise a pair of elongate curved side portions on either side of the at least one central portion.

The at least one central portion may comprise two parallel central portions.

Preferably, the flexible strap comprises an inelastic material.

Preferably, the at least one central portion and/or plurality of side portions comprise an impact absorbing material.

The impact absorbing material may comprise any one of the following materials: polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, rubber, silicone gel.

The at least one central portion and the plurality of side portions may comprise a plastics material formed by injection moulding.

The collapsible helmet may comprise a chin strap.

Preferably, the at least one flexible strap is configured to incorporate the chin strap.

The flexible strap may be stitched to the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions.

Alternatively, the flexible strap may be bonded to the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions.

The flexible strap may be bonded within the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions during the injection moulding process.

A collapsible helmet according to any one of the preceding claims, whereby, in use, the plurality of side portions are movable between a collapsed position, substantially contained within the volume of the at least one central portion, and an operative position, forming the sides of the helmet.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of one embodiment of a collapsible helmet in an operative position;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 1, with a plurality of flexible straps interconnecting a central portion and side portions;

FIG. 3 shows a view from one side of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 1 in an operative position;

FIG. 5 shows the isometric view of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 1, in a stowed position with side portions nesting beneath the central portion;

FIG. 6 shows the collapsible helmet of FIG. 5 in plan view;

FIG. 7 shows an underside view of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of collapsible helmet in isometric view, shown without interconnecting flexible straps, and with a pair of central portions;

FIG. 9 shows the collapsible helmet of FIG. 8 in stowed position;

FIG. 10 shows the collapsible helmet of FIG. 8 in plan view, showing a further reduction in volume created by the pair of central portions;

FIG. 11 shows in plan view the collapsible helmet of FIG. 8 when in a stowed position; and,

FIG. 12 shows an underside view of the collapsible helmet of FIG. 8 when in a stowed position.

In the figures like references denote like or corresponding parts.

As shown in FIG. 1, the collapsible helmet 1 comprises a central portion 2 that is configured to protect the crown of a wearer's head from front to back. The collapsible helmet 1 also comprises a plurality of side portions 3 that create the collapsible helmet 1 or shell structure when in an operative position. The side portions 3 are the same, but mirrored, on each side of the central portion 2. The central portion 2 and side portions 3 together make up an exoskeleton shell to cover the head of a wearer and help to absorb impacts to prevent injury. The gaps between side portions 3 and central portion 2 when in an operative position help to provide sufficient ventilation to the head of the wearer.

The side portions 3 adjacent to the central portion 2 as shown in FIG. 1 comprise elongate curved side portions 3 that span the crown of the head from back to front. These side portions 3 are configured to be of a suitable size and shape such that they nest wholly beneath the central portion 2 when in a collapsed position. The side portions 3 can be conveniently moved into the volume created by the central portion 2. A further pair of side portions 3 on either side of the central portion 2 and adjacent to the first pair of side portions 3, are configured to protect the side of the head of the wearer. These side portions 3 can again be moved from an operative position, to nest substantially beneath the neighbouring side portions 3.

The collapsible helmet 1 may comprise further side portions 3, not shown in the Figures, whereby on either side of the central portion 2 the side portions 3 are all configured to nest within the volume created by the central portion 2.

The collapsible helmet 1 comprises a plurality of flexible straps 4 that interconnect the side portions 3 and the central portion 2. These flexible straps 4 are sufficiently flexible to allow the side portions 3 to be moved to nest beneath the central portion 2, whilst also being configured to resist relative movement of the side portions 3 beyond an operative position, when in use as a helmet. These flexible straps 4 may be linked through the mass of the side portions 3, or secured to the inner or outer surface of the side portions 3. The flexible straps 4 may comprise an inelastic material, that does not stretch, but is flexible in that it can be folded easily upon itself, much like webbing or similar strapping materials.

The collapsible helmet 1 may incorporate a chin strap 5 to support the collapsible helmet 1 onto the head of the wearer. The chin strap 5 may be formed as part of the flexible straps 4, or may comprise a separate strap that is secured to the side portions 3 or central portion 2. The chin strap 5 may comprise fastening means and adjustable means to accommodate different sizes of head.

FIG. 2 shows the collapsible helmet 1 of FIG. 1 in front view, showing the contours of the central portion 2 and side portions 3 that enable the side portions 3 to nest beneath the central portion 2. In this embodiment of collapsible helmet 1 the side portions 3 and central portion 2 are joined by four flexible straps 4. These flexible straps 4 are permanently secured to the central portion 2 and side portions 3 through permanent adhesives, rivets or similar fastening means. The flexible straps 4 may alternatively be bonded to the central portion 2 and side portions 3 during the manufacturing process, where the central portion 2 and side portions 3 are injection moulded, and the flexible straps 4 are placed within the mould during this process. The flexible straps 4 may be secured to each of the side portions 3 and central portions 2 by a number of different means, to include but not limited to, adhesive bonding, in-moulding, hook and loop fastening, welding, stitching, mechanical fastening with mechanical fasteners.

FIG. 3 shows the collapsible helmet 1 in side view to demonstrate how the side portions 3 nest beneath the central portion 2. When in a collapsed position, the collapsible helmet 1 is reduced in width to be as wide as the width of the central portion 2, due to the nesting of the side portions 3 beneath this central portion 2. The collapsible helmet 1 therefore forms a flat configuration when in a collapsed position, allowing the collapsible helmet 1 to be more easily stored and transported when not in use. The collapsible helmet 1 will typically fit within a user's briefcase, handbag or other luggage, without wasting space.

FIG. 4 shows the collapsible helmet 1 in plan view, showing one embodiment of how the flexible straps 4 interconnect the side portions 3 and the central portion 2. The side portions 3 and central portion 2 comprise rounded edges for aerodynamic purposes, comfort and collapsing functionality.

FIG. 5 shows the collapsible helmet 1 in a stowed or collapsed position, showing the side portions 3 nesting substantially beneath the central portion 2. The side portions 3 in their pairs, nest side by side beneath the central portion 2. FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the collapsible helmet 1 in a collapsed position with side portions 3 nested substantially beneath the central portion 2. FIG. 7 shows an underside view of FIG. 6, showing how the side portions 3 nest alongside each other and within each other, to be wholly contained within the volume created by the curvature of the central portion 2.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of collapsible helmet 1 where the central portion 2 is split into two equal but opposite central portions 2. By splitting the central portion 2, the collapsible helmet 1 will collapse by a greater amount, reducing the overall width of the collapsible helmet 1 in a collapsed position, without compromising on structure when in an operative position. FIG. 8 shows the pair of central portions 2 and plurality of side portions 3, but the flexible strap 4 is not shown in this Figure. FIG. 9 shows the collapsible helmet 1 of FIG. 8 in a collapsed position, with gap between the pair of central portions 2 being minimal when in this collapsed position. The side portions 3 next wholly beneath the central portions 2.

FIG. 10 shows the spacing of the par of central portions 2 and side portions 2 in plan view when in an operative position. FIG. 11 shows a plan view in collapsed position of the collapsible helmet 1 with dual central portions 2, where the side portions 3 cannot be seen since they nest wholly within the volume created by the pair of central portions 2 in this collapsed position. FIG. 12 shows an underside view of FIG. 11 showing how the side portions 3 nest beneath the pair of central portions 2.

The collapsible helmet 1 comprises a shell made up of the at least one central portion 2 and the plurality of side portions 3. The central portion 2 and side portions 3 comprise an impact absorbing material, or be made up of an outer layer of substantially rigid material and an inner layer of cushioning material. The central portion 2 and side portions 3 may comprise a plastics material, and the plastics material may be lined with a suitable impact absorbing material. The central portion 2 and side portions 3 may comprise a number of materials, but preferably comprise a material that will deform on receipt of an impact loading such as to absorb impact energy and thus reduce the level of any impact that may be experienced by a user of the collapsible helmet 1. Such absorption is preferably by way of recoverable deformation, such as would be possible with materials such as polyurethane. Other suitable materials include but are not limited to: polyethylene, polystyrene, crushable foams such as expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene and expanded polyurethane, rubber and silicone gel. It is thought that the collapsible helmet 1 if produced from certain cost-effective materials, could be produced at a significantly low cost to make the collapsible helmet 1 viable as a disposable option, or one which can be worn for a limited number of times. This would make the collapsible helmet 1 suitable for use within inner city bike schemes, where the collapsible helmets 1 could be provided through a machine or otherwise at the site of the bike park.

The collapsible helmet 1 may comprise a plurality of side portions 3 either side of the central portion 2, not shown. The collapsible helmet 1 may incorporate 3, 4 or 5 side portions 3 either side of the central portion 2, all interconnected by at least one flexible strap 4 and all being nestable beneath the central portion 2 such that they are wholly contained within the volume created by the central portion 2.

The flexible strap 4 is secured to the central portions 2 and side portions 3 by way of bonding, heating or stitching. The flexible strap 4 in a further embodiment may be configured to loop through the plurality of side portions 3 and/or the at least one central portion 2.

Whilst the collapsible helmet 1 is suitable for use by cyclists, it is not limited to this purpose, and may also be used as a collapsible helmet 1 for other purposes, such as a hard helmet for construction, a helmet for other sporting endeavours such as rock-climbing, snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding and rollerblading and other similar activities where a helmet is often worn to protect the head of a participant from injury. 

1. A collapsible helmet for cyclists, the collapsible helmet comprising: at least one elongate, curved central portion adapted to extend over a crown of a user's head from front to back; and, a plurality of side portions supported either side of the at least one central portion, the plurality of side portions configured to nest substantially under the at least one central portion when in a collapsed position, and the plurality of side portions configured to form a helmet when in an operative position; and, at least one flexible strap interconnecting the plurality of side portions and the at least one central portion, wherein the at least one flexible strap limits the relative separation of the plurality of side portions in the operative position.
 2. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of side portions supported either side of the at least one central portion comprises a pair of elongate curved side portions on either side of the at least one central portion.
 3. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one central portion comprises two central portions.
 4. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flexible strap comprises an inelastic material.
 5. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one central portion and/or plurality of side portions comprise an impact absorbing material.
 6. A collapsible helmet according to claim 5, wherein the impact absorbing material comprises any one of the following materials: polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, expanded foam, rubber, silicone gel.
 7. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one central portion and the plurality of side portions comprise a plastics material formed by injection moulding.
 8. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the collapsible helmet comprises a chin strap.
 9. A collapsible helmet according to claim 8, wherein the at least one flexible strap is configured to incorporate the chin strap.
 10. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the flexible strap is stitched to the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions.
 11. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the flexible strap is bonded to the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions.
 12. A collapsible helmet according to claim 11, wherein the flexible strap is bonded within the at least one central portion and plurality of side portions during the injection moulding process.
 13. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the central portion and plurality of side portions are made from one or more of the following materials: polyethylene, polystyrene, crushable foams such as expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene and expanded polyurethane, rubber and silicone gel.
 14. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flexible strap is made from one or more of the following materials: polypropylene webbing, nylon, polyester, cord, woven strapping, composite strapping, paper.
 15. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flexible strap is secured to the central portion and plurality of side portions by one or more of the following means: adhesive bonding, in-moulding, hook and loop fastening, welding, stitching, mechanical fastening with mechanical fasteners.
 16. A collapsible helmet according to claim 1, whereby, in use, the plurality of side portions are movable between a collapsed position, substantially contained within the volume of the at least one central portion, and an operative position, forming the sides of the helmet.
 17. (canceled) 